Wuzi Tai Sui General Zheng Tang

Wuzi Tai Sui General Zheng Tang is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who rotate annually to assume stewardship over human affairs. He presides specifically over Wuzi years—such as 2008 and 2068—and governs the collective fortune, misfortune, blessings, and calamities experienced by humanity during those years. The zodiac sign associated with Wuzi is the Rat; thus, individuals born in the Year of the Rat are said to be 'in direct alignment with the Tai Sui' (zhi tai sui) during Wuzi years, while those born in the Year of the Horse experience 'clashing with the Tai Sui' (chong tai sui). Both groups are traditionally advised to visit Daoist temples to perform the An Tai Sui (‘Stabilising the Tai Sui’) and Bai Tai Sui (‘Worshipping the Tai Sui’) rituals, offering reverence to the Tai Sui Xingjun to neutralise adverse stellar influences. The Tai Sui cult originates in ancient Chinese astronomy—particularly the Jupiter-based sexagenary cycle—and the folk taboo against disturbing earth where the invisible 'Tai Sui' was believed to reside (hence the saying 'disturbing earth above the Tai Sui'). It is believed that the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities take turns serving as celestial overseers, monitoring human conduct and moral conduct across the realm; therefore, during years of ‘conflict with the Tai Sui’, devotees engage in sincere prayer and ritual observance to avert misfortune, transform adversity into opportunity, and secure peace, safety, and smooth passage through the year.